


Luxuries

by Elizabeth Culmer (edenfalling)



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Bathtubs, Character Study, Fifteen Minute Fic, Gen, Poverty
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2004-07-23
Updated: 2004-07-23
Packaged: 2018-02-20 23:44:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 400
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2447435
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/edenfalling/pseuds/Elizabeth%20Culmer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ginny hates being poor, and she can't always make herself be patient.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Luxuries

**Author's Note:**

> This ficlet was inspired by the 7/18/04 [15minuteficlets](http://15minuteficlets.livejournal.com) word #64. It's something of a companion piece to [Shame](http://archiveofourown.org/works/2447255), which deals with Ron's reaction to poverty.

One thing Ginny particularly likes about Hogwarts is the bathrooms. They have actual shower stalls -- tiled and separated by solid walls, with doors that latch and have towel hooks on back. They even have little wire baskets to hold shampoos and other hair potions.

Of course, showers aren't everything, and there's also a bathtub on each floor of Gryffindor Tower. Ginny couldn't believe the extravagance at first -- that's seven bathtubs on the girls' floors, and seven for the boys. Think of all that water! Think of all the charms to keep it at the right heat!

And the bathtubs are amazing, all polished porcelain and clawed lions' feet and room enough to lie down and float with your arms stretched wide and still not hit the edges. Each bathtub sits in its own stall, just like the showers, and has a special shower attachment for if you want to rinse your hair and wash before filling the whole tub for a soak.

The house elves manage the system, of course, or it would never work. And Hogwarts needs to be at least somewhat luxurious to stave off complaints from the rich pureblood families. But while Ginny can usually turn off her mind and simply not see all the luxuries her family can only dream of, when she sees the bathtubs there's always a nagging little voice at the back of her mind saying, "Why can't we have this at home, too?" She tries to let her troubles bleed into the warm water as she soaks, but the voice only grows louder and echoes through the scented steam.

Surely _one_ house elf isn't that much to ask? Surely a bathtub you can lie down in instead of sitting with your knees jammed halfway up to your chin isn't too much to dream of? Surely a reliable water-heating charm doesn't need to be as expensive as the ones for sale in Diagon Alley?

Baths tend to leave Ginny aching to do something, anything. Maybe get rich. Maybe change the laws. Maybe knock things over and burn things down and scream a lot.

But she isn't going to run off like Bill and Charlie, turn it into a joke like the twins, complain like Ron, or deny her family like Percy. She's going to do it _right_ \-- whatever it is that needs doing -- until she can make that little voice float away forever.


End file.
